Lauren Sánchez & Jeff Bezos’s $500M Yacht Wedding Has Everyone Side-Eyeing This Princess DI Comparison
Well, this is rich. Literally. Paul Sanchez (you know, the brother of Lauren Sanchez, fiancée of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos) didn’t miss the opportunity to find a camera outside a Home Depot this week to talk about the upcoming nuptials. “I think it’s gonna be like a Princess Di thing,” he said in the Home Depot parking lot. “So just huge and fun and just a blast.” A comparison that, quite honestly, misses the mark by about 500 million nautical miles.
Let’s revisit Princess Diana’s wedding to Charles. On a very hot July day in 1981, 750 million people worldwide tuned in to watch the “People’s Princess” walk down the aisle at St. Paul’s Cathedral in a gown with one of the most iconic trains in history. The ceremony was deeply steeped in tradition, pomp, and cultural significance, serving as both a fairytale moment and a collective distraction for a recession-weary United Kingdom. Every detail — from Diana’s eventual status as a global humanitarian to the cloud of secrecy and intrigue surrounding her life at the time of the wedding — made it one of the biggest moments in modern royal history. “No one and I mean no one can top Diana period,” one online commentator said, summing it up perfectly. “Her wedding is still one of the most iconic moments of pop culture. Like, Capitalist Barbie can try but she will fail ????♀️.”
Now, pivot to Lauren and Bezos’s $500 million yacht nuptials. While undoubtedly luxurious, this billionaires’ Mediterranean yacht party doesn’t exactly scream “global cultural touchstone” so much as “we have criminal amounts of money.” According to Paul Sanchez, “I’m thrilled beyond belief, it’s going to be an amazing event,” and the couple has reportedly asked guests to donate to their favorite charities instead of bringing gifts. “I believe it’s gonna be make a donation to your favorite charity,” he explained to TMZ, which may check a box but doesn’t exactly scream grassroots goodness or meaningful impact. As one sharp observer noted, “She could spend all the money she has and she will still never be the People’s Princess.”
The brother of the bride might be hyping this wedding as a “Princess Di thing,” but even he admitted he has no clue who’s actually at the helm of planning the soirée. “I have no idea, I mean, I talk to my sister three or four times a week, but she hasn’t mentioned anything.”
And while sources close to the outlet were quick to shut down any notion that Sanchez and Bezos’ nuptials will rival the royal spectacle of 1981, we need to take a step back and really look at the bigger picture here. We’ve got a $500 million — aka half a billion dollars — yacht wedding of one of the world’s richest men whose company once penalized workers for taking breaks to, you know, use the restroom and has been repeatedly cited by OSHA for unsafe work environments. Not exactly Princess Di vibes.
And speaking of Princess Di, can we take a moment to remember what actually made her the “People’s Princess”? Her legacy isn’t defined by jewels and photo ops but by the lives she changed. She held AIDS patients’ hands at a time when the world feared touching them, bringing humanity to a crisis. She walked through minefields in Angola, spotlighting a cause many wouldn’t dare to touch. She worked with organizations tackling homelessness, even bringing her kids to meet the unhoused youth she advocated for, teaching them empathy through action.
Compare that to Lauren Sánchez gearing up for a yacht party that sounds more like… well, just an ultra-wealthy yacht party, which feels tactless as over 50% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and are one crisis away from homelessness. While Diana’s life was defined by advocacy and empathy, Sánchez’s upcoming nuptials — well, they’re mostly defined by dollar signs and a completely obliviousness to the reality most Americans face.
Before you go, click here to see the best photos of Princess Diana playing with William and Harry.